Train Yourselves to be Godly

I Tim 4:1-10

 

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters,[a] you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 10 That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

 

  1. Trouble in the Last Days

 

  1. Last days means now

 

 

  1. Trouble relates to anything that attacks your faith

        Tricked in thinking.

Tricked by feelings.

 

Owning your fears and getting to work on them. We either feel         something that is not true or we think something that is not true.

 

 

  1. Believing, Obeying and Loving God

        These three things go together. They are all evidenced in action.

 

        We are all involved in a process of growth! Therefore, we should all see ourselves as “in training.”

 

 

 

 

  1. Training to be Godly

Believe, love obey

Sensuality—fasting– loves

Greed—giving– believe

Pride—service– obey

 

  1. Learn what to believe

       

deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared

 

deception: we can be led in the wrong direction

demonic teaching: wrong power used

hypocritical liars: people are using others for their personal reasons

hard hearted: folks turn from God’s truth and get harder, but they                               don’t stop learning or teaching. They are just off.

 

Examples: forbidding people to marry. Why?

: Abstaining from certain foods

 

Godless myths and old wives tales (strange conventional wisdom)

 

What we believe about God, His plans and purposes for the world         and our lives as a part of that is key to living as He intends.

 

There are things that you do and things that you do not do as a part of your training.

 

  1. Practice loving others like God does

John 3:16: taking the initiative to give love

I Cor 13:4: patient and kind

Rom 5:8: not only loving those that deserve it.

 

 

 

  1. Be taught to obey all Jesus commanded

Matt 28:20

 

Are there some things that Jesus teaches that you don’t like?

That is a good place to start. Think about why it is that you don’t like what Jesus has commanded. There is a believing or loving problem.

 

Let me give you an example: Matt 19:

3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’[a] 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’[b]? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”

 

 

 

III. Practice Disciplines of Abstinence

 

  1. The goal is to believe, love and obey perfectly

       

        Because we are not an open book to ourselves, it does us good to step back from our normal life pursuits and introduce activities that cause us to do without things that we normally have. This then causes something inside of us to rise up. Desire. Are we in control of desire, or is desire in control of us?

 

Fasting.

Solitude.

Listening to God.

Prayer before decision.

Simplicity.

 

 

  1. We practice so we will perform

 

Performance means we believe what God says

We obey what God says.

We love the way that God loves.

 

 

  1. There are many disciplines

        Fasting, solitude, silence, frugality, chastity, secrecy, sacrifice,     simplicity

 

The value of the Lenten season. Jesus in the wilderness before His earthly ministry kicks off. Shared suffering. It begins a week from Wednesday. It lasts 40 days minus the Sundays and it ends on Easter, with new life.

 

 

Jesus when John the Baptist dies.

Jesus when He chooses the twelve.

Jesus when He is about to be arrested. Think about his wrestling. What is He wrestling with? Desire. What does He pray?! And what does He do? This is recorded for our sake. No one was with Him.

 

       

        What will you put off?